How do i determine what amp to buy for my home theater system ?

Question

My receiver is 100 watts per channel times 5 and my speakers are 180 watts. Do i need a pre amp or what ? I'm trying to upgrade my system with limited knowledge and would appreciate some help. I'm using 16 guage wire for my speakers.

Answer 1

Ok, FIRST.....adding a pre-amp won't Boost-ify your 100 Watt amp up to 180 watts....you'll still get 100 W maximum.

So why buy a pre-amp unless you need MORE CONTROL and MORE INPUTS?

That's the only reason for  a pre-amp...

The rest of your system sounds rock solid with the speakers and wiring, so a question I have is...

Does it sound good?  Or is it weak in the room you have? No Bass?  Weak highs?

Can't hear it outside? During your "Amp War" with your neighbor, you find yourself getting blown away?

You COULD upgrade to a DENON AVR

http://www.usa.denon.com/ProductDetails/...

But would it be worth the price?

That preamp won't really do anything for you, but a new Power AMP/Reciever/AV center would.....

I want one....and I already have a Denon....but there's something MAGICAL about having something Bigger..... and MORE POWERFUL !

With LOTS and LOTS of Buttons! And LOGOS!  Oooooooh I don't have enough LOGOS on my amp...I need more!

And that's how us guys think.....

So don't jump the gun....THINK and take time to look at your system and see if you have a need to upgrade the amp, or the speakers, or retool the AV center....

I'm going to re-tool this weekend....

As for your system, 100 watts is plenty for any living room/home theater....

And if you need an Amp for the Amp war...Look on E Bay for an OLD Technics or Sansui 300W per channel unit from the 70's....they don't build them like that anymore....

Answer 2

Is the sound somehow lacking?

Look - home theater sound is NOT your fathers music system where you need 200 watts of power and huge speakers that try to blast your ears ... in the other room.

Home Theater is a circle of speakers focused on 1-3 chairs.  The sound is ... sparse compared to music. Lots of power is nice, but not required.

POWER:

Here is a fact: During a movie - your speakers average power draw is 3-15 watts.  If the receiver is a name-brand (Yamaha, Denon, Onkyo, Sony ES, Pioneer-Elite) then 100 watts is plenty of power.

SUBWOOFER:

This is usually a single upgrade that can make a dramatic difference in your HT.  Smooth, powerful low-frequency sounds from a self-powered sub is something that impresses.  Look into "SVS Woofers" or "HSU Research" for 2 internet companies that produce great subs.

CALIBRATION

Get a Radio Shack SPL meter and a setup DVD like "Avia", "Digital Video Essentials" or "Sound & Vision Setup DVD".  There is a tutorial that tells you exactly how to calibrate your speakers.  This should be your first 'upgrade' (make your existing system as best as possible).

Answer 3

are you also taking into consideration the size of the room and the acoustics of that room? this is equally important

Answer 4

Well, depending on the speakers, they are probably just rated at 180 watts being when they explode.

http://paradigm.com/en/reference/speaker...

There is an example, max is 150 watts, but that is a near $2000 set of speakers. I have a set of Studio 60s (version 2, so a bit less potent than those) and I am running them with a 75 watt Denon AVR1508, and they will blare without trying. Just get a decent receiver, doesn't have to be real fancy if you are not an audio nut. Something in the reasonable Denon family, or Pioneer Elite can be had off Ebay or Craigslist for a decent price while still being enough for a regular setup.

Answer 5

the connection in the back of the receiver is called pre outs if you don't have pre outs on the back of the receiver then you cannot upgrade you need to buy another receiver. To get 100 watts a channel you have to crank your receiver  up to max and i highly don't think you use that muck power because cops will be at your house. cops are at my house at 50 watts and my receiver pulls more power than that.

Answer 6

It is important to gain an understanding of the various terms involved.  A receiver consists of a pre-amp, an amp, a tuner (radio) and in the case of a home theater receiver a surround sound processor.  The controls for volume and tone are parts of the pre-amp.  The input signal from sources such as a cd or dvd player or a turntable are very low voltage.  A pre-amp boosts this signal to a level appropriate to the amplifier with which it is coupled.  The amplifier then provides the second stage of amplification, providing enough power to drive your speakers.  The wattage of an amp refers to the amount of power it can produce.  The wattage rating of speakers refers to how much power they can handle without being damaged.  When a range is given for speakers, the lower number refers to how much power the amp needs to produce in order to effectively drive the speakers.  If your amplifier and speaker combination is capable of producing adequate volume without distortion and with good quality sound, then change is not essential.  If, however, you are dissatisfied with either the sound quality or with the volume produced before distortion is audible then change is in the air.

There are many quality brands of home theater equipment.  In general, a receiver or amp that has a high current output will sound better than one that does not.  Not surprisingly, it is the more expensive units that fit this description.  If you see a 100 watt per channel unit for $200 and another for $1000, you can be certain the latter is the higher current unit.  Power, as expressed in watts, is equal to the current times the voltage change.  Some good brands are Denon, Onkyo, Pioneer Elite, Yamaha, Harman Kardon, and Sony ES.

As for speakers, the key is in your ears.  When you listen, do you hear speakers or musical instruments and voices.  Some good brands are Energy, Mirage, NHT, Niles, Paradigm, and Infinity.

A good rule of thumb is select the best sounding speakers that you can afford, then select a good high current receiver capable or driving them to the volumes you desire.  Speakers have "efficiency ratings" and the higher the rating, the less power it takes to produce a give volume.